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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — magic
  8. fall — the season
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. race — a contest
  13. sharp — clever
  14. spring — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. race — humankind
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. face — to confront
  21. spell — a short time
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com